FIFTEEN years after his death, Freddie Mercury is still touching the hearts of his fans. Friends of Freddie chose the iconic gender-bending pop video I Want to Break Free, on which to base their entry for the Moretonhampstead Carnival procession, taking second prize in the Best Humorous Walking Entry. Their picture, which appeared in the Mid-Devon Advertiser, caught the eye of Queen fan club member, Angela Lake, of Church Road, Newton Abbot. She promptly contacted the club secretary and the photo is now being posted on the official Queen fan club website. She said: 'It is such a funny picture. Some of them really look like him. I think they should be congratulated for their really outrageous outfits.' The photo of the 18 hoover-brandishing Freddies, complete with buck teeth, black wigs, mini-skirts and stilettos will now be seen by thousands of Queen fans across the world. Club secretary Jacky Smith said she is also going to forward the photo to Brian May so he can have a look at it. 'I thought it was fantastic. Freddie would have been amused too,' she said. The original video, launched in 1984, helped confirm Queen's status as pioneers of the pop video. However, the band's outfits, in particular Freddie's fishnet stockings, bouffant hairstyle and shocking pink lipstick beneath his trademark moustache, proved too raunchy for many tastes. The band's popularity took a nosedive on the other side of the Atlantic. 'They didn't get it very well in America. They didn't get the whole men in drag thing. It was based on Coronation Street and they didn't even know what that was,' said Ms Smith. The tribute is particularly timely – Freddie would have been 60 last Tuesday. Builder Peter Battershall, one of those who thought up the idea, was amazed at the news. 'We only done it for a laugh,' he said. He admitted he is not much of a Queen fan and only saw the video a few days before the event. He said they had trouble getting enough hoovers and had to pay a fiver each for them from Newton Abbot's recycling centre. The wigs and teeth were bought on the internet. He said he has only missed one carnival since the age of two. Down the years Mr Battershall and his mates have impersonated Rolf Harris, Elvis, the Keystone Cops and the Red Barrows. 'It's brilliant. Everyone enjoys it. Normally we don't meet up until the actual day.' Their carnival entries have become so popular that this year a couple of people even made the journey from London to join in.